What It's Like To Play In March Madness

Playing Ball For A Huge Crowd

Ali Farokhmanesh: In the NCAA tournament, there were 17,000 or something in Oklahoma City for that game, and probably 12,000 of them were Jayhawk fans. And then going to St. Louis and playing in front of 34,000 people, that’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Not many people ever have the experience of playing in front of 34,000 people.

Marcus Fizer: [The vibe was] insane! All of the games were super packed. The Big 12 is a tough conference, and every city roots hard for their respective universities. On the road, you had to be prepared for a hostile environment. Just came with the territory. Ask players about the legendary "Hilton Magic" in Ames!

I loved the crowd. They really fueled the excitement of playing the game of basketball. Not letting them down was a personal goal. In the state of Iowa, there's no major pro teams, so we like to think of the Cyclones being the major attraction in the Ames/Des Moines area. And they came out to support no matter the weather.

Wayne Simien:The conference games were very important because we are competing for a Big 12 title every year. It was so much fun knowing that a sold-out 16,300 screaming fans would be there every game. The only time I saw empty seats in Allen Fieldhouse was at practice.

The tournament games were heightened in intensity because it was "win or go home." In conference play, you can lose three games and still be a champion. That doesn't happen in March. There were lots of fans, but they aren't all there to cheer for you. Playing in two Finals Fours in front of 80,000 in a dome was amazing.

Staying In The Right Headspace

Ali Farokhmanesh: We looked at it like it almost was another game. We knew it wasn’t just another game but we were there the year before, so we were ready for UNLV. We knew we wanted to make some noise in the tournament; that was our goal from the very start of the season. That’s what we were working towards. Once we got there, we realized we put in all of that work, so there’s no need to be nervous. Once you’ve worked that hard, you don’t need to be nervous about what you’re going to do. If you’ve been doing the work, it becomes second nature to you.

Marcus Fizer: I was so focused on winning that nothing else mattered. After defeating Kansas in the Hilton, coach Roy Williams was grabbing me to congratulate me and I never saw him. I was so into the celebration and happy for us that I didn't realize who he was. Upon acknowledging it being him, I promptly replied..."What's up Roy?!" He laughed and said, "Great job." I was so embarrassed afterwards.

Wayne Simien: The bigger the platform, the bigger the stakes. The deeper you go in the tourney, the more you feel the gravity of playing it being more than just a game.

What Would You Do Differently?

Ali Farokhmanesh:I wish we would have stuck it out and beat Michigan State in the Sweet 16. That’s still a bitter memory for me because of the fact we were up seven going into halftime. I don’t think people realize how good of a team we actually were. Yeah, it was an upset that we beat Kansas, but at the same time, we were ranked most of the year, so it wasn’t like we were a team that came out of nowhere. We were one of the top defensive teams in the country statistically, so we were a good team; it’s just that we’re just the University of Northern Iowa and they’re Kansas.

I wish we would have been able to beat Michigan State just because we had a lead and we felt comfortable in that game. We just ended up falling a little short of our ultimate goal.

Now that I look back on it, yes, it was awesome. It definitely was a once-in-a-lifetime experience but in that moment [after the Michigan State loss], I never thought, “Oh, it was great we beat Kansas.” Especially because I was a senior and it was my last game and last time to step on a college basketball court. Whatever you do, Sweet 16, Elite Eight, lose in the first round, it’s going to be devastating.

Marcus Fizer:I wish I would have done more, all around. Upon being eliminated, I was extremely depressed. Yes, depressed. Being the captain of the team, I felt like I let everyone down. We had a chance to make history — although we already had done that — but a chance to make major history. And that was winning it all. Had we gotten out of Detroit, we would have won it all!

What Advice Would You Give This Year's Players?

Wayne Simien: Enjoy the experience, but stay focused on your task at hand. Leave no room for regret when it comes to your attitude and effort.